Did you know 2 equals 1?

Did you know 2 equals 1? No? Well were have you been, that’s common sense.

1 = a number                                                           

                                                                                   

2 = a number

_________________________

Therefore 2 = 1

A connotation such as this one is what leads to hasty generalization. It’s where assumptions are made without sufficient evidence, like having an impression about a large population, based on personal knowledge of just a few in the population.

Close-minded thinking such as hasty generalization is what contributed to the controversial topics of Ageism, Sexism and Racism.

“All elderly people are groggy and bitter. They hate young people, because they are too vulgar and have no boundaries. ”

Comments like this travel fast and are then repeated to others, until it’s eventually used towards all elderly people. This one comment is then led to Ageism…because someone is a part of a particular age group they are discriminated upon, based off of a generalized assumption.

These same thoughts also led to racism and sexism. “All Middle Eastern people hate America”, “Women are only nurses, not doctors.” From one comment that applied to one or two people in particular is now viewed as something that applies to all women or all Middle Eastern people.

Being a college student I have heard multiple times to be careful and to stay safe. In return condoms are swayed in front of my face to remind me of safe sex. Also the talks about “never leave you’re cup lying around at a party, if you do don’t drink it.” All great advice to keep me from having unwanted children at a young age and preventing me from ingesting a spiked drink, but really NOT ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE HAVING SEX OR DOING DRUGS AND GETTING DRUNK EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT. From a couple experiences that some people have had and a couple of movies, some people actually believe that college consists of nothing but marijuana, sex, and vodka… when really I don’t need any of that stuff to say that I am a college student nor to prove that I do have a kick-ass time without the booze. So CHILL-OUT with the unnecessary generalization, something that might represent you’re friend surely does not represent everyone.  

Hasty generalization is a crappy argument that is made without adequate evidence. It consists of negative connotations that lead to unnecessary discrimination. So in general if you are going to make hasty comments have something to back it up with. Or as it is said, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.